Playing-ball.



Patented Apr.l29, |902. E. KEHPSHALL.

PLAYING BALL.

(Application led Apr. 5, 1902.)

-Cllo Model.)

l WimJe/S/es.-

.u M W M THE :mams News coA, Hom-umn., wAsmNmnN, n. c.

UNITED y STATESA PATENT Ormes.

ELEAZER KEMPSHALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOVTHE KEMPSHALLMANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF 'NEW JERSEY.

PLAYING-BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming* part 0f Letters I153.1561211; N0. 699,094, dated.Apr129, 190.2.

Application filed April 5, 1902. :Serial No. 101,463. l(No model.)

To cir/ZZ whom, t may concern,.-

Beit known that LELEAZER KEMPSHALL, a citizen of the United States,residing in Boston,in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPlaying-Balls, of'

which the .following is aspeciiication.

This invention relates to playing-balls; and it consists,substantially,in the improvements hereinafter particularly described;and the principal object of the invention is to provide a ball of thischaracter possessing great stability and integrity of structure, wherebythe same is adapted to all lthe'essential requirementsv of golf andsimilar games.

My present improvements 'relate more especially to the shell orexternalstructure of the ball, which is of vspecial form or construction, whichgives to itV the quality or capacity of withstanding severe usage towhich it may be subjected in'thefgame.

The invention also has certain other objects in view, as willhereinafter fully appear when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Q Figure 1 is a part-sectional view of a completedball, the elements of which are4 constructed and organized substantiallyin accordance with my present invention. '.Fig..2 is a sectional viewrepresenting aibody or center 'for the ball. Fig. 3 is also a part-sec#tional view of :my improved 'playihgbalh showing the form orconstruction of the shell or external structure of the ball previous tocompression thereof in suitable dies for the purpose. Fig. 4: representsa sectional view of one means which maybe employe'din the final step ofthe process of manufacture of my improved playing-ball.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it may b e statedthat I employ any suitable body or center for the ball, to which I applyan external structure or shell,formed of a thin strip or strips ofsuitable interlined stock, which are Woundabout the said body or centerin various directions and to any depth or extent ofthickness desired,whereupon the structure is subjected to compression under heat,substantially as will hereinafter appear:

Specific reference being had to the accompanying drawings by thedesignating charac- `well asztoeach other. `the strips upon the saidbody or center,

ters marked thereon, A, Fig. l, represents a completed Aplaying-ballconstructed substantially in accordance with my present improveime'nts,the same comprising a suitable spherical body or center 2 of anysuitable material, preferably gutta-percha; and to said body or center Iapply the external structure or shell of the ball, which in the presentinstance is of special form and from which a great many importantadvantages are derived. The said external structure or shell consists,preferably, of thin strips 3 of suitable interlined stock, preferably ofcelluloid and woven fabric, which are wound about the body or censionjinthe dies therefor. These strips 3 of interlined stock are comparativelythin and of moderate width, and in order to effectually apply them tothe body or center of the ball I may heat the same until the celluloidelement thereof becomes plastic, or nearly so, and then wind the stripstightly over the saidV bodyor center, with the result that the dierentwindings of thc strips adhere to the material of the said body orcenter, as I continue to wind and in, virtue of the clinging tendency oft'he overwou'nd portions of the strips to each other Ia solid externalstructure or shell of 'substantially spherical form is produced, asindicated at Fig. 3, it being evident that the woven fabric inthe stockof which the stripsv are formed lends substantial toughness andintegrity thereto, this being a desideratum in structures of this classor type. It will also be seen that by having the strips very thin andwinding them tightly and causing them to adhere to one another little orno air remains in the completed shell, which is a desideratum. It is notessential that the fabric be closely woven in all instances. In fact, itis preferably open-weave, sothatit may become thoroughly embedded orlocked vin the celluloid, or, in otherpwords, itis desirable that thereshall be a large preponderance of celluloid or other plastic material inthe shell. It is not essential that the fibrous material xooA wherebythe strips are toughened be always in the shape of woven fabric, and itwill be seen that the princip'al advantage of the fibrous material isderived from the strands or threads that run lengthwise of the strips,which act as ligaments or tendons, which strengthen the shell in alldirections andrender it practically rupture-proof, or, in other words,prevent the core from bursting the shell when the ball is given a hardknock. After com pleting the final winding of the said interlined strips3 of celluloid and woven fabric, substantiallyasindicated at Fig. 3, Imay first place the structure in suitable smooth dies, by which to giveto the ball its general form, as well as to subject the materials of thestrips to a preliminary com pression,and which is preferably performedwhile the celluloid is still in such a heated state as to becomparatively soft or semiplastic. For all practical purposes, however,I have found that the structure shown in Fig. 3 may be placed betweendies 5 and 6, such as are indicated at Fig. 4, and finished or completedat one operation-that is to say, by subjecting the structure tocompression of the dies under heat and maintaining such compressionuntil the external structn re or shell of the ball hardens by cooling.

As thus constructed the external structure or shell of my improvedplaying-ball has no joints which are liable to spread open uponsubjection of the ball to severe usage, since the interlined stock ofwhich the said external structure or shell is made up or constitutedwill not crack or split even under severe blows from a stick or otherimplement, and thus my improved ball is rendered far more substantialand durable than many similar balls hitherto devised having like objectsin view. As a result of the process of manufacture of my improved ballthe celluloid material of the interlined stock of the external structureor shell is well seasoned besides being rendered more compact undercompression and not liable to lose its shape from extraneous causes. Itwill be understood that the overwound portions of the strips 3 ofinterlined. stock blend together and form a homogeneous externalstructure or shell minus welds or seams, it being added that my improvedball has phenomenal iiying power nnder a hard blow, while beingcomparatively dead to a light blow, so that it is Well adapted for thedriving and putting features of the golf-game.

The external structure or shell may be formed in the above-describedmanner of interlined stock composed of other plastic material, such asgutta-percha or any material of the pyroxylin class combined with anysuitable woven fabric, substantially as indicated herein. f

It is not essential always that the celluloid or plastic material beplaced upon both sides of the fabric material when making the strips,and by the term interlined stock I mean stock com pounded of plasticmaterial (preferably a pyroxylin compound or derivative) and fabric, inany suitable arrangement for the purposes herein set forth. It will beseen that in the completed shell the ligaments, tendons, bands, orfabric strips are promiscuously mingled with and embedded or keyed inthe shell material, which relative arrangement of ligaments and shellmaterial may be effected in other ways than by winding compound fabricand celluloid strips. The cel` luloid of the strips adheres strip tostrip, and owingto the natural adhesion, as well as to the subsequentcompression, reheating, and recompression the celluloid strips becomewelded together and form a substantially continuous shell.

Variations may be resorted to within thc scope of my presentimprovements, and it maybe stated at this point that thecompression-dies shown in Fig. 4 are preferably pitted on theiroperative surfaces in order to impart to the exterior surface of theball a bramble( structure.

Having described my invention, I claiml. A playing-ball comprising abody or center, and an applied shell or casing constructed of overwoundstrips of interlined stock.

2. A playing-ball comprising a body or center, and an applied shell orcasing constructed of overwound interlined strips of celluloidcompressed upon said body or center.

3. A playing-ball comprising abody or center of gutta-percha, and anapplied shell or casing constructed of overwound strips of interlinedstock.

4. A playing-ball comprising a body or center of gutta-percha, and anapplied shell or casing constructed of overwound interlined strips ofcelluloid compressed upon said body or center.

5. A playing ball comprising a springy body or center, and an appliedshell or easing constructed of overwound strips consisting of celluloidand fabric and welded together and holdingr said center undercompression.

6. A playingball comprising a springy spherical body or center, and anapplied shell or casing constructed of overwound interlined strips ofcelluloid compre'ssed upon said body or center.

7. A playing-ball comprising a body or center, and an applied shell orcasing constructed of overwound strips of celluloid lined with wovenfabric.

8. Aplaying-ball comprisingaspringybody or center, and an applied shellor casing constructed of overwound strips of celluloidlined with wovenfabric, said strips being welded together, and the whole beingcompressed upon said center.

9. A playing-ball comprising a hard spherd ical body or center ofgutta-percha, and an applied shell or casing constructed of overwoundthin strips of celluloid lined with textile fabric.

10. Aplaying-ballcomprisingabodyorcelr IOO IIO

tel', and a shell thereon consisting of strips, said strips consistingof celluloid and librous material, and being Wound continuously indifferent directions and Welded together Where they1 cross.

11. Aplaying-ball comprising a shell which consists of strips ofCelluloid Wound continuously in different directions and Welded tgetherWhere crossing; fibrous material being embedded throughout said shell.

12. A playing-ball comprising a core anda shell thereon; said shellconsisting` of strips of plastic material and fabric; all of said stripsbeing Wound continuously in different directions, the plastic materialbeing Welded strip to strip, and the fabric strips beingembedded in saidplastic material.

13. A playingLball comprising a core and a shell holding said core undercompression; said shell consisting of strips of celluloid and stripsoffabric; all of said strips being Wound continuously in differentdirections,-said celluloid being Welded strip to strip, and the fabricstrips being embedded in said Celluloid.

14. A playing-ball comprising a shell made of plastic materialand'ligaments; said plastic material forming a continuous or unbrokenshell, and said ligaments extending promiscuously throughout said shell;and a core Within said shell.

15. Av playing-ball comprising a core of springy material and a shellholding said core under compression; said shell consisting'otnCelluloid, and ligaments of fibrous material being interspersedthroughoutjthe shell and binding tightly upon saidcore. v

16. A playing-ball comprising a springy body or center, and ahighly-compacted shell thereon, said shell consisting of strips Woundcontinuouslyin different directions upon said body and Weldedwherecrossing; and said strips being 'compounded of plastic material andfibrous material.

17. A playing-ballincluding a sphere consisting of a strip or strips ofCelluloid Wound continuously in diierent directions.

ELEAZER KEMPSHALL.

VitnesSes:

B. C. STIcKNEY, JOHN O. SEIFERT.

